Collectors of Customs in 1903

The role of the Collector of Customs is to collect the duties and fees imposed by law on imported or exported goods. The Customs Office in Sandusky has always been busy, due to Sandusky’s location as a port on the Great Lakes, and its close proximity to Canada.

Pictured above are the Collectors of Customs from Erie and Ottawa Counties in 1903. Edmund H. Zurhorst was the Collector of Customs in Sandusky from 1898 to 1904. Roy M. Downing was a Customs Official for forty eight years. An article in the May 29, 1961 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that in his many years of government service, Roy Downing became acquainted with countless ship captains, mates and other officers who brought Great Lakes passengers and freight ships in to Sandusky. Later when airplanes started flying between Sandusky and Pelee Island and the Canadian mainland, Roy made friends with many of the pilots.

From 1857 until 1927, the Customs Office in Sandusky was located in the Post Office building, at the southwest corner of Columbus Avenue and Market Street